Twinkling Through The Dark

Twilight slowly started to stir in her warm hospital bed in which she’d been in for the past four days. As she opened her eyes, everything was blurry and it took her time to start to see more clearly. But she started to feel intense pain in her chest and right wing. Having difficulty in breathing, Twilight began to panic.

“Is anypony out there? Please help me!” Twilight shouted out with what little breath she had in her. Twilight looked to her left and saw a pony holding her down, her vision still blurry, she mistaken the pony for her father.

“Dad? Is that you? I’m so scared!” Twilight said as tears of pain and fear started to come out of her eyes.

“Your highness, you need to calm down, the nurses are on their way.” Said Cirrostratus, who had not left the princess’s side for days. Twilight’s vision started to get better as she saw two nurses come in and with one of the nurses along with Cirrostratus, holding Twilight down while the other injected a strong painkiller into her to numb the pain.

The pain in Twilight’s wing and chest started to dissipate as she first saw what had happened to her wing and her chest. I’m a complete wreck! How am I able to help those foals now? Twilight thought to herself. Then she turned to a doctor in a white coat enter the room.

“Welcome back, your highness. It’s wonderful to see you awake.” Said Dr. Healthshield as he trotted into the room.
“Where am I and what happened?” Twilight asked.

“You are in the hospital your highness. You were suffering from exposure and an open compound fracture in your right wing and a punctured lung, had it not been for the quick thinking ponies of this village, you would not have survived. Also it is 1700h on December 10th if you wanted to know what the date is.” Dr. Healthshield answered the dazed and confused alicorn. When the date started to sink into her mind, she started to panic even more.

“Nonononononononononononononononono!!!!” Twilight blurted out as she realised she was late in her assignment. Twilight REALLY hated being tardy and tried to get out of bed, but the nurses restrained her.

“You are not in the condition to help any pony Princess Twilight! You need your rest!” Said one of the nurses as she tried to hold Twilight down. Her struggle didn’t last very long as Twilight realised that she just barely had the energy to sit up, let alone trot and she could barely lift anything, with magic or hooves. So she slumped back on her bed and started crying.

“I need to keep you on observation for the next day or two your highness. After that, we need to get you back on your hooves, so we have scheduled a week of rehabilitation. In the meantime, you have to rest and recover your strength. If you need any assistance, just press the green button on your bedside dresser to your left. You are in good hooves princess, you will be well looked after.” Dr. Healthshield said petting Twilight’s hoof trying to comfort her before he and the nurses left the room.

“Princess, you don’t need to worry about the testing. It has already been carried out” Cirrostratus said, trying to reinsure the upset princess.

“What do you mean?” asked a sniffling Twilight. Cirrostratus went on to explain that as he went through her saddlebags, he found all of the documentation she was carrying for the foals tests and he sent them to the town mayor and got them completed.

“Thank you so much, um…” Twilight went to thank the pony standing next to her, although she did not know his name. “Oh, my name is Cirrostratus, Princess Twilight.”

“Twilight is fine. I never liked being treated differently than anypony else.” Twilight said with a sheepish smile of her face. Twilight never liked the idea of every other pony bowing to her and always addressing her in formalities. To her, a pony is just a pony, regardless of wealth, power, or position in society. That’s why no pony in Ponyville or anywhere she frequently visits treat her like any other pony.

“Well, Twilight, the ponies of the village didn’t think the same way. For when they heard that you were in intensive care, condolences were flowing in by the cartload!” Cirrostratus went on saying as he pointed to the massive pile of flowers, chocolates, and get well cards to Twilight’s right.

“The foals were particularly worried and came in to wish you to get better while you were asleep.” Cirrostratus continued as tears were flowing down Twilight’s face. Twilight always had this fear that she wasn’t worthy of any ponies affection, and sometimes felt that she was undeserving of anything. For a whole village of ponies who never before meet her in person to give their hearts out for her was deeply touching.

“Your friends and family have been notified about your situation and Princess Celestia has requested that you stay here in the village until you get your strength back to come home or when the weather permits a chariot to pick you up. And judging by my forecasts, it would most likely be the former” Cirrostratus said informing Twilight that her loved ones know what happened and that Celestia had given her instructions on what she was going to do.

“How could you get these letters out?” Twilight asked. “Well our best messengers set out to get those letters out. They knew that it wasn’t safe to fly anywhere during the storm but they did it for you Twilight. Any pony would do anything for royalty. Although they won’t be able to return for a while, we have been getting replies from your assistant.” Cirrostratus went on saying that Spike has been sending all of the replies to her.

“Thank you…. Thank you so much for all that you are doing for me!” Twilight said, mustering enough strength to telekinetically grab Cirrostratus and hug him while sobbing into his chest. “You’re welcome Twilight.” Cirrostratus said back remembering treating his own foals when they were sick or upset, even though he had not seen or heard from either one in years. Twilight noticed that Cirrostratus was crying. “What wrong Cirrostratus? Are you alright? Twilight asked.

“I’m fine, this is just bringing back heart-warming moments from years ago. For you remind me of my son and daughter.” Cirrostratus said with teary eyes. It was at this time, Sunswirl came into the room. “Oh, Twilight, this is my wife, Sunswirl.” Cirrostratus said while holding onto her. Although Sunswirl was a bit confused on why her husband was talking to a princess so casually.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and Sunswirl, and you can dispense with the formalities. I prefer if you just called me Twilight.” Twilight said while thinking; How many more ponies do I have to tell to stop being so formal with me? “Could you please continue to tell me more about your foals? I don’t like being left on my own for hours on end, well that’s if I’m not studying or reading that is.” Twilight asked with a curious and slightly sheepish smile.

“Well, they were the brightest bunch of foals we’ve ever seen. They loved each other’s company, and they adored us as much as we did them. They both were very eager for learning about magic and eventually our eldest daughter was sent to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. Not long after that we and the village learned that she had become Celestia’s star pupil, we were so proud and the village was also elated.” Sunswirl said as she also started crying.

“Although we were very proud, our son became quite upset and lonely when he lost his sister from his life. We then encouraged him to make a few friends, although it proved to be quite difficult for him. He was very shy and was relentlessly picked on for being a blank flank because they wouldn’t dare do that if his sister was around. But he did eventually find a friend, those two became almost inseparable. He would play with her every day. They were the last ponies in their class to be blank flanks and together they knew they would be safe from the bullies who by know were picking on ponies with what they perceived were weird marks.” Cirrostratus went on.

Twilight all but knew what their son was facing for she was also relentlessly bullied and harassed on a daily basis, with her parents, older brother and Princess Celestia being the only refuge from it. To the point where she wouldn’t interact with many if any of her peers out of fear.

“Then on the Summer Sun Celebration, he finally got his Cutie Mark in magic and we sent him also to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns so he could see his sister again as traveling to Canterlot and back home is a very expensive undertaking you must understand.”

Oh, judging by my own experience trying to get here, I don’t blame you two.” Twilight said as she glanced at her injuries.
“However, thing started to go wrong. We don’t know how or why, but our daughter abandoned her studies and disappeared without a trace. And our son was doing so badly that he’d apparently dropped out and we never heard from him again.” Cirrostratus and Sunswirl said as they were starting to sob.

Twilight was beginning to have a sense to familiarity to what they were saying, as if she’d know of who they were talking about. But then her attention went to the filly who was their son’s closest friend. “But what happened to his friend?” Twilight then asked the couple who were by this time into the conversation, quite upset.

“We don’t know, she apparently she ran away from home and her parents, who are great friends of ours. They were so devastated that her father ran all over Equestria for over ten years trying to find her while his wife stayed to run their two businesses. Unfortunately, he was not able to find a trace of her.” Cirrostratus said.

“It wasn’t like they were bad parents, to the contrary, they poured all of their love into her as it was their only daughter. They said they were always there for her, giving her support whenever she needed it. Her mother used to sing to her every night.” Sunswirl went on noting that the filly’s parents were deeply affectionate to her.

“The only thing we do know is that it happened not that long after our son got his Cutie Mark. I just don’t understand and I regret to think that we will never will for she has not been seen again after that incident.” Cirrostratus lamenting. Now Twilight was have strong idea on who they were talking about, but she needed a name or picture to confirm her suspicions.
“Cirrostratus, Sunswirl, do you two have a family portrait with your son and daughter in it before they were separated? And if so, could you bring it over for me to see?” Twilight requested. She didn’t like intruding into other ponies personal affairs, but it felt like the right thing to do.

“Oh sure, I’ll be right back.” Sunswirl said and went back home to get the picture. The weather had cleared for now, and thick snow covered everything as far as the eye could see. But even still, ponies were starting to decorate for Heartswarming Eve, the smiles on everypony’s faces as they trotted by and the foals playing in the snow were signs of normality even in these conditions.

As Sunswirl came back home and went to grab the portrait off the mantle, she started to think to herself. Was the princess going to recognise our foals? She looks about the same age as they would be now, was she at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns at the same time? Does she know where they went to or where they are know? But what if she doesn’t know them? Or what if she says that we will never see them again? A cold gust of wind broke her concentration as she realised that she was just standing in front of the Hearth with the front door open. With tears running down her cheeks, Sunswirl got her composure back together and grabbed the portrait and left for the hospital with an equal measure of hope and dread going through her mind.

“What are you thinking of Twilight?” Cirrostratus asked Twilight about what she was up to. “I have this nagging hunch that I need to clear up on, but I need to be absolutely sure that I’m right about this before I commit to anything serious.” Twilight stated, then Sunswirl returned. “I’m back pri….. Um, Twilight.” Sunswirl said, mentally kicking herself. This is going to take time to get used to… She thought to herself.

“Ok. Now show me your beloved foals.” Twilight said. She tried to grab the portrait with her magic, but her hold was very weak. As soon as she grabbed it in her hooves, she couldn’t hold on with her magic anymore. She was exhausted. Clearly the physical rehabilitation is going to include my magic too. I haven’t had this much trouble with lifting anything since Starlight took my Cutie Mark. Twilight thought to herself as she started to unwrap the protective fabric.

As soon as she saw the picture, Twilight was speechless. She had been correct in her assumptions and now Cirrostratus’s and Sunswirl’s story made complete sense. Then multiple thoughts went through Twilight’s mind. Sunset never told me anything about her family, let alone the fact that Sunburst was her younger brother. How did I not connect with Sunburst, we were in the same class! He might have not shut himself away for so long if he just had a friend to support him! Sunset becoming Celestia’s student almost led to the complete destruction of Equestria through leaving her brother alone and thus led him to Starlight and therefore her feeling abandoned because of him getting his Cutie Mark….. “Um, Twilight? Are you alright?” Cirrostratus said while waving his hoof in front of Twilight’s face.

“Sorry, sorry! I kind of blank out when in thought.” Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment. Twilight was trying to wrap her head around this information. She had no clue how to explain to Sunset’s parents where she had been, what she had done, or why she didn’t try to get back into contact with her parents. But a voice in her head told her to let Sunset explain her story, it would help mend the emotional wound better.

“I, um … I know who your foals are and more importantly, I know where they currently are at the present time.” Twilight said, taking a deep breath for she knew that this would change Cirrostratus’s and Sunswirl’s lives by telling them where their long lost foals were. Before Twilight could say another word, both unicorns were hugging and crying in her chest.
“THANK YOU! Thank you so much Twilight!!!!” Said Sunswirl and Cirrostratus as both started sobbing in Twilight’s hooves. Twilight tried to get them off as the pain from her chest started to build.

“Can…. You…. Please….. Let…..Go…..” Twilight said as the pain started to grow more and more intense.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! I just can’t describe how this news is making me feel, our family, reunited after so many years….” Cirrostratus said while continuing to cry.

“How could we ever repay you for this?” Sunswirl said while still sobbing and sniffling. “Cirrostratus, Sunswirl, you two ponies helped save my life! This is the least I can do to repay the favour.” Twilight said for helping this broken family would mean everything for them. For they went out of their way to save a complete stranger for the same reason Twilight was helping them now; it’s the right thing to do. A nurse came in and said that the hospital was closing for visitors and as Cirrostratus and Sunswirl left the room, they were compelled to bow towards Twilight as a sign of their gratitude for helping them out to a degree they never thought would happen. And to their surprise, Twilight bowed back, well, as best she could that is.

“Nurse, could I have a quill, ink and some parchment? I need to write a few letters.” Twilight said to the one nurse once the two unicorns were out of earshot. However, Twilight just did not have the strength with her magic to do it herself and the nurse offered to write the letters for her before she left the princess for the night. Realising that she couldn’t write herself, Twilight asked the nurse to write what she said.

To my dear sister-in-law,

I regret to inform you by letter that I won’t be able to be present for Hearth’s Warming for my injuries and the weather as of late severely limit travel. It upsets me greatly that I won’t be able to see you, or Shining Armour or Flurry Heart this year. Please let them know that I love you three deeply and will try my hardest to make you for this year’s absence. For Princess Celestia has given me a very important assignment that I have to complete.

As soon as weather permits, I request that Sunburst is taken to my current location by chariot, for my royal duties require him to be at my side. He has to have the appropriate clothing as weather in my current location is quite severe. Under any circumstances he is not to be told where he is going or why but you can inform him that I have also requested that his dear friend, Starlight Glimmer will also be accompanying him in this assignment.

Thank you for your understanding,
Love, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Dear Spike,

It is great to hear from you and the girls again. However I won’t be able to make it for Hearth’s Warming this year. For Princess Celestia has given me a very important assignment that I have to complete. I know that they will understand but tell them that I love them as deeply as ever.

However Spike, I need you to organise a few things for me. Firstly, you are to grab the diary and inform Sunset Shimmer that I request that her presence in Equestria is required immediately. Tell her to dress very warmly and to bring over sleeping supplies for she will be staying for the holiday.

Secondly, inform Starlight Glimmer that she is also going to be accompanying Sunset. Send for a chariot to collect them both and transport them to my current location. Under no circumstances that either Sunset or Starlight are to be told where they will be going or why but you can say that they will be staying by my side for this assignment.

Thank you,
Twilight.

p.s. Starlight can be told that Sunburst is accompanying her in this trip, but Sunset cannot know of this information.

Dear Princess Luna,

I request that you accompany me at my current location. I understand that your sister has informed you of the current situation and I hold grave thoughts of what this assignment will do to Starlight Glimmer psychologically as the village I am residing at the moment hold deep trauma for her and reuniting her with her family after so many years might trigger an emotional and psychological breakdown. But this needs to be done to if Starlight is to fully close the darkest chapter of her life.

I understand, that your personal connection with Starlight in relation to both of your pasts is strong and that a pony who shares the same understanding of what she’s going through will be invaluable to our goal.

Thank You,
Your dear friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

p.s. Could you come in a way that Starlight will not sense your presence as this might make things worse if she catches on before we enter the village?